Bear Beat Goffstown 6-0; Third Shutout Win in a Row

 Hanover made their Friday Night Lights game against Goffstown a positive experience for everyone who participated, beating Goffstown 6-0, their third shutout victory in a row.  Now 6-4 on the season, the Bears are ready for a string of challenging matches that will define their season.

 

Hanover’s losses earlier in the season were in part due to a sputtering offense.  They were shut out three times, despite out-shooting every opponent with one exception.  They would dominate on the field, but could not finish when they needed a big goal.  In their current three-game win streak, capped off with the Goffstown win, they have outscored the opposition 18-0.  The opponents all have losing records, to be sure, but in every instance Hanover has scored more than any other of the three team’s opponents.

 

Against Goffstown, Hanover got right to work, and took a 1-0 lead 1:32 into the game on the first of Carter Guerin’s three goals.  Sean Smith controlled the ball at midfield and threaded a perfect pass to Zach Tracy, perfectly positioned at attacking center mid.  Tracy almost immediately laid a pass to Guerin on the left flank, and Carter cut inside his defender, closed a step, and slotted the ball into the lower right corner.

 

Hanover kept hammering and after several close calls from Becket McCurdy and Ryder Hayes, Guerin collected his second score of the night ten minutes after his first.  He played a ball to striker Jack Gardner, who took a touch away from pressure and then threaded a return pass to his streaking teammate.  Guerin’s cool finish made it 2-0.

 

Thirteen minutes later, the Bears created a candidate for goal of the year. A great buildup out of the back got the ball to Ben Woods on the left flank, who made a spectacular play to control the ball and keep it from going out of bounds.  He immediately thumped a 50-yard crossing ball that found Carter Guerin, now on the right flank (Sam’s idea).   Guerin went baseline and hit a hard, head-high cross that connected with Andrew McGuire for a Haaland header that made the score 3-0.

 

The Bears scored a coup de grace in the final two minutes when Tracy, om his way to a three-assist night, slid a ball to the relentless Gardner, who turned his defender and nailed his fifth goal of the season to send the team into the interval on a high note. The halftime show lived up to expectations, with a bevy of young wanna-bes played a ferocious 6v6 match using Bill Miles’ cherished pickup goals.

 

Hanover picked up right where they left off in the second half, although to took a while to alter the scoreline.  Becker McCurdy almost connected on a far post header from a Sean Smith corner kick, and Ryder Hayes hit a free kick into the wall. Alex McGrath had the most impressive miss, crushing a header past the post on a centering pass from Woods, who capped a strong training week where every pass was hard, low and timely. Andrew McGuire made it 5-0 at the 54-minute mark, ripping the ball away from a defender in the box and collecting his team-leading sixth goal of the season, all in the past five games. The offense is warming up.

 

Four minutes later, Guerin capped the scoring with his third goal of the night.  Zach Tracy aimed a centering pass from the right side that was aimed at Sam Calderwood but blocked right back to him.  Tracy’s second attempt found Guerin, whose sizzling shot nearly decapitated Calderwood before bulging the onion bag.

 

Hanover’s defense was as stingy as it has been all year.  They allowed no shots on goal, and no shots AT goal.  The shot chart was blank.  Ty Nolon and Wyatt Seelig shared the shutout.  It was the first Varsity action for the hard-working Seelig, who earlier in the day had registered a clean sheet for the JV1 team.

 

Now comes a tougher test.  Exeter rolls into Merriman-Branch on Tuesday with an 8-2 record and wins over Manchester Central and Nashua South, a 3-2 win last Saturday.  This is the sort of matchup that good teams live for.